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Step by step

 Building a new home
 Renovating

Building Act

 New Zealand Building Code
 The Building Act 2004
 Implementation of the 2004 Act
 Building Consents
   Applying for building consent
   Inspections for building consent compliance
   Who issues building consents?
   Building without consent
   Legal requirements

Buying a house

 Doing the research
 Property inspections
 Homes with weathertightness issues
 Buying an apartment
 Further research & making the move

Buying a section

 Choosing a section
 Doing the research
 Certificate of title & restrictions on use
 District plans & resource consents
 LIMs & council files
 Ground stability, wind zones, surveys & valuations
 Sale & purchase agreement

Construction phase

 Building stages
 Building & resource consents
 Monitoring progress
 Progress payments
 Approving variations to the structure or materials
 Building inspections
 Final stages
 Landscaping

Dealing with tradespeople

 Finding a builder
 Builders' qualifications & trade organisations
 Types of contracts
 Tenders & quotes
 The contract document
 Builders' guarantees
 Insurance
 Employing subcontractors
 When things go wrong
   Common problems
   Dispute resolution

Design & architects

 Planning your design
 Design options
 Custom designs
 Design costs
 Choosing the designer
 Designer briefings & contracts
 Plans - a three stage process
 Getting consents
 Disputes with designers

Do-it-yourself?

 Taking a realistic view
 DIY safety
   Ladders, scaffolds & balconies
   Tools & electrical safety
   Treated timber & asbestos
   Lead paint
   Gas & plumbing safety
 Legal restrictions on DIY work
   Building work
   Building consents
   Electrical work
   Plumbing, drainage and gas

Home maintenance

 Before you start
   Planning for maintenance
   DIY or tradespeople?
   Apartments
   Tools you need
 Interior maintenance
   Living and sleeping
   Combating dampness
   Borer and other pests
   Windows and doors
   Roof space
   Floors
      Timber floors
      Floor coverings
      Concrete floors
   Kitchens & bathrooms
      Plumbing and drainage
      Moisture and dirt
      Appliances
      Walls, floors & cabinets
      Baths & showers
      Money saving tips
 Exterior maintenance
   Pipes & gutterings
   Under the floor
   Pools & spas
   Garden/House boundary
   Fences
   Septic tanks
   Balconies and decks
      What’s what
      Balconies
      Open timber decks
      Car decks
   Exterior walls
      General maintenance
      Monolithic cladding
      Concrete, blocks & bricks
      Bitumen-impregnated cellulose fibre
      Fibre cement
      Asbestos cement
      Weatherboard, timber and sheet claddings
   Roofs
      General roof maintenance
      Metal roofs
      Tile roofs
      Other roof types
      Collecting water from your roof

Leaky buildings

   Why homes leak
      Background to the problem
      Risk factors
      Timber
      Wall claddings
      Health risks
      Maintaining your home
   Existing homes that leak
      What should I look for?
      Buying an existing house
      Checklist
      Repair options
   Building a new home that doesn't leak
      Designing and building
      Principles of weathertight design
   What to do if you have a leaky home
      Weathertight Homes Resolution Service
      Other remedies
   Case studies
      Case study 1
      Case study 2

Legal issues

 Construction Contracts Act
 Consumer Guarantees Act
 Contract law
 Fair Trading Act
 Fencing Act
 Fencing of swimming pools
 Health and Safety in Employment Act
 Land titles
 PIMs and LIMs
 Resolving disputes
 Resource Management Act

Materials & features

 Quality assurance
 Floor, cladding, roof & joinery
 Heating
 Moisture control & ventilation
 Insulation
 Passive design for energy efficiency
 Noise control
 Designing for best use of space
 Designing for ease of movement & access
 Designing for outdoor living
 Designing for security
 Designing for safety
 Designing for fire protection
 Interior fittings
 'Green' homes

Moving a house

 Initial decisions
 Moving an old house
 Consents
 Other matters to consider

Project management

 Managing a house-building project
 Your options
 Project managers
 Self-management
 Working with project managers
 Money

Renovations & alterations

 Why renovate?
 Planning & designs
 Selecting tradespeople
 Insurance
 Building & resource consents
 The building phase
 When renovation exposes other problems

Updates

Resources

 Problems?
 Trade & professional groups
 Glossary
 Council finder

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